It was another wild Saturday in the SEC. One that gave us a action, complete domination by Georgia, a statement from LSU and another brilliant performance from KaMario Taylor.
FLORIDA 52, OLE MISS 28
John Sumrall and the Gators are exactly who we thought they would be.
Florida physically whipped the No. 4 team in the country, rushing for 302 yards and handing Ole Miss its first loss. Jadan Baugh ran his way directly into the Heisman conversation as the Gators scored 35 second-half points.
Florida is no longer rebuilding. The Gators are a legitimate factor in the SEC and the College Football Playoff race.
GEORGIA 41, OKLAHOMA 13
This was supposed to be Georgia’s first real test.
Instead, the Bulldogs annihilated Oklahoma.
Georgia forced four turnovers, turned them into 17 points and had the Sooners buried by halftime. Kirby Smart’s team looked bigger, faster, stronger and considerably better coached.
Georgia didn’t just beat Oklahoma. It exposed the Sooners as a team that is nowhere near ready to compete with the SEC’s elite.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 31, MISSOURI 24
KaMario Taylor continues to prove everything I have said about him.
Taylor threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns while leading another fourth-quarter comeback. Mississippi State is now 4–0, and Taylor has officially moved beyond “breakout player” status.
He is the best quarterback in the country—and if he keeps playing like this, the Heisman voters will have no choice but to recognize him.
TEXAS 20, TENNESSEE 17
It wasn’t the shootout many expected. It became a defensive street fight.
Texas recorded 10 sacks, kept Tennessee’s offense under constant pressure and survived one final desperate throw as time expired. Arch Manning and the Longhorns didn’t light up the scoreboard, but they went into Neyland Stadium and found a way to win.
That is what championship-caliber teams do.
LSU 35, TEXAS A&M 6
This was an absolute beatdown.
After losing at Ole Miss, LSU responded by physically dismantling Texas A&M. The Tigers controlled the game, shut down the Aggies and turned what appeared to be a major SEC matchup into a rout.
Texas A&M has gone from possible contender to complete crisis in eight days.
ALABAMA 49, SOUTH CAROLINA 18
South Carolina opened the game with Matt Fuller ripping off a 56-yard run—and then watched everything unravel.
Alabama led 35–10 at halftime and never gave the Gamecocks a legitimate opportunity to make it competitive. The Tide handled its business. South Carolina once again looked poorly prepared, overmatched and incapable of answering once adversity arrived.
The Gamecocks are running out of winnable games—and Shane Beamer is running out of answers.
AUBURN 21, VANDERBILT 15
It wasn’t pretty, but Auburn did enough.
The Tigers built a 21–3 lead and then held on while Vanderbilt attempted a second-half comeback. Auburn still has offensive concerns, but winning an SEC game while you work through those problems is considerably better than explaining another loss.
KENTUCKY 45, SOUTH ALABAMA 21
Kentucky avoided the letdown after its upset of Texas A&M.
South Alabama scored 21 points in the second quarter, but the Wildcats shut the Jaguars out in the second half and pulled away. Kentucky is beginning to look like a dangerous team rather than a one-week surprise.
ARKANSAS 34, TULSA 6
Arkansas finally had something to feel good about.
The Razorbacks controlled Tulsa, played solid defense and earned a comfortable victory. It doesn’t repair everything that has gone wrong in Fayetteville, but Arkansas desperately needed a convincing performance.
THE FINAL LAP
The biggest winner was Florida. The Gators didn’t merely upset Ole Miss—they physically dominated them.
Georgia reminded everyone that the road to the SEC championship still runs through Athens.
KaMario Taylor strengthened his argument as the nation’s best quarterback.
LSU got back off the mat.
And Texas survived a hostile trip to Knoxville.
Week Four didn’t just produce winners and losers. It began separating the real contenders from the teams that merely looked good on paper.
—JB
